The African Diaspora Congress (ADC) said on Monday that the confirmation of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), represented victory not only for Nigerians in particular and Africans in general, but for women in the global community.
Prof. Apollos Nwauwa, Secretary-General of ADC and Chairman of Nigerian Diaspora Movement (NDM), expressed this thought in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He added that Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment was a clear testimony that Africans “have all it takes to build a viable continent”.
“Today’s confirmation of Okonjo-Iwealaa as D-G of WTO is a high watermark for Nigeria, Africa, and the global community.
“NDM and ADC congratulate her and celebrate with Nigeria and Africa for this milestone in the annals of world politics.
“Okonjo-Iweala’s elevation to this topmost position in WTO did not come easy following almost a year-long diplomatic maneuvering, jostling, and power play in the appointment process globally.
“On this one, we give the Federal Government of Nigeria due credit, for standing behind her.
“The government stood solidly behind her in every way and that is how it should be.
“This is victory not only for Nigeria, but also for Africa as a whole. More importantly, it is a welcome triumph for our African women,” he said.
He urged African leaders to invest in building infrastructure and create the right environment that would ensure continuous production of highly respectable individuals that could compete favourably on the world stage.
ADC is a coalition of various groups and concerned citizens from Africa and Africa Diaspora, while NDM has nearly 2million Nigerians in diaspora working towards building progressive nation where citizens are empowered to be productive. (NAN)